Anger over circus visit

CIRCUS animals live a cruel and unnecessary life, two Port Macquarie volunteers believe.

In light of the Lennon Bros Circus moving into town from today, Gary Henderson and Sara Tilling placed an advertisement in the Port Macquarie News on page 7 in Wednesday’s edition and today’s on page 77, discouraging readers from supporting the circus.

Mr Henderson shares a passion for animals with his partner Ms Tilling.

The couple are members of For Australian Wildlife Needing Aid NSW, where they help rehabilitate and care for injured creatures in the Hastings.

They also volunteered at a lion sanctuary in South Africa for two weeks about a year ago.

Animals who had spent the majority of their lives in circuses had retired at the sanctuary.

They are fighting to stop circuses using exotic animals all together, comparing the practice to battery hens.

“It’s an outdated practice and we’re doing all we can to hasten that decrease,” Mr Henderson said.

“We speak for the animals who are carted around and made to perform demeaning tricks.”